Darius Rucker Pays Aretha Franklin Homage in Her Hometown of Detroit

Musicians from all genres mourned the loss of Aretha Franklin last month, and the tributes to the Queen of Soul are still rolling in. Darius Rucker chose his Detroit concert date on Friday (Sept. 7) as the perfect place to pay homage to Franklin, as it was her own hometown.

"When I was a kid, only two people ruled my world—Al Green and Aretha Franklin," Rucker told the audience, according to Billboard. "I've been watching everybody do their tributes to [her], but I said, 'I'm gonna wait 'til I get to Detroit to do mine.'"

He selected Franklin's moody 1967 hit, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," a song that was covered by Garth Brooks in 2013 (replacing "man" with the gender-neutral "somebody").

Franklin passed away on Aug. 16 at the age of 76, and Rucker took to Twitter that day to express his sorrow. "We lost one of the most important all time greats today. My love goes out to her family. Love you Aretha. That band in Heaven just got a lot better!!"

Franklin's funeral, held Aug. 31, included a range of performers in all genres. Country music was notably represented by Faith Hill, who delivered the classic "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."